When Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul was drafting a master plan to push the ministry forward as requested by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, a vivid recollection of the Hollywood film Invictus was definitely running through her mind.
A keen jogger, Mrs Kobkarn believes sports tourism will not only boost the industry but also help unite Thailand's divided society. Kosol Nakachol
The movie, based on a true story, recounts how the late South African president Nelson Mandela harnessed the power of rugby to unite the apartheid-torn nation that is racially and economically divided.
"Sport is a universal language. It unites people," Mrs Kobkarn said.
As a true believer in sports, she plans to use it as part of her reconciliation plans to reunite divided Thais.
"Look at Nelson Mandela. He used rugby to unite black and white. So why can't we do the same?" she said.
Holding office since September, the 54-year-old minister is more than ready to reinforce the importance of sports in schools and among the general public.
Highlighting sports tourism in her master plan, she believes sports will not only heal Thailand's divided society but also lift the nation's competitiveness and capability in the international arena as well as boost tourism.
"If people spend more time on sports, then they will have less time to think about other things. This is just the starting point," she said.
The former chief executive is the only female and the youngest minister in the Prayut administration.
Mrs Kobkarn is the second of four children of the late Korn and Thanpuying Niramol Suriyasat. Her grandfather, Maj Gen Phra Suriyasat, once served as financial director at the Defence Ministry.
After graduating from Rhode Island School of Design in Architecture she worked for 28 years at Toshiba Thailand Co, the company founded by her mother. She was the company's chairwoman before joining the cabinet.
Spending her life in the private sector, she conceded that working in the unfamiliar environment of the government's bureaucratic system required some adjustment.
A drop in the number of tourist arrivals in past months caused by the political impasse since last year and the ongoing martial law plus a spate of reports on crimes, frauds and murders of foreign tourists have added massive pressure on the minister's shoulders.
"It is tough," she said. "And the risks are high."
She is not, however, referring to the mounting workload, but the public's expectations and criticism.
"I can handle all the workload as I was taught that every day is a new lesson. But pressure from criticism is high and sometimes hurtful. I'm a sensitive person but I've learned to handle it better."
Stress has taken a toll on her though. Mrs Kobkarn admits she has been unable to sleep well at night since she took the job. Yet, there are no easy solutions.
"The only thing I can do is to strengthen my mind and work harder. It's necessary to love what I do. Passion is an important part of it all," she said.
And that shows in her work.
Since day one, restoring tourists' confidence, boosting arrivals and expanding tourism revenue are her key priorities. Political unrest, the coup and martial law have dampened the number of tourist arrivals by 10% in the first seven months of this year. However, the figures started to improve in October.
The minister expects the number of tourist arrivals this year to hit 25-25.5 million with projected revenue of 1.8 trillion baht. That is a drop from last year's 26.5 million tourists.
She is optimistic about next year, targeting tourist arrivals at 29 million with 2.2 trillion baht in revenue.
"From the target we can see that spending per head is expected to improve. That's part of our plan to focus more on quality, rather than just quantity," she said.
She believes competition among countries including Japan, European countries and China in the tourism sector will get tougher and that will foster Thailand to step up and change. Price-cutting will certainly not be a strategy.
Hence, the minister has highlighted a mission to rebrand the country's tourism and focus on its cultural heritage and unique identity. Meanwhile, the ministry plans to kick off several campaigns including "Discovery Thainess 2015" that will allow foreign tourists to appreciate Thailand's cultural treasure and experiences.
The campaign will include 10 major tourist destinations plus 12 secondary destinations.
All strategic plans have been laid out until 2020 by a working committee comprising representatives from both government and the private sector.
"By 2020 tourism must become the country's core economic pillar," she stressed. "Besides, ultimately it must be able to generate and distribute sufficient income to local communities."
To achieve that ambitious goal, the ministry, departments and all related organisations must be on the same page while overlapping work must also be eliminated.
"All parties now are asked to sit in the same meetings and lay out plans together to make sure they are working in the same direction, while the Tourism Authority of Thailand will only focus on marketing. This should be able to reduce redundancy of work and processes," she said.
Despite her workload, she still finds time every morning for a run — a healthy hobby she has pursued for the past 14 years.
Years back, she had chest pains and the doctor suggested that regular exercise was one way to keep healthy. She has since discovered that morning jogs not only strengthen her health, but also her mind.
"Running is like meditation. When I run, my mind is clear and my thoughts are systematically organised. And that's when my creativity takes shape."
Mrs Kobkarn believes creativity and inventive ideas play a key role in success. However, ultimately, honesty is the quality that takes a person to where he or she wants to be.
"Honesty is a prerequisite for success," she said. "I hold it tightly to my heart as it is written in my maiden name 'Suriyasat', which means 'as honest as the sun'."